Concierge care is a type of medical service that allows patients to receive personalized care from their doctor. It involves paying a membership fee in exchange for services and amenities that are not typically covered by Medicare or insurance plans. This type of care is also known as advance medications, boutique medicine, platinum office, or direct care. By paying the membership fee, patients can benefit from less paperwork, more reliable income for the doctor, and more time spent on medicine instead of paperwork.
Medical billing software can help concierge offices automate their manual billing tasks, such as checking patients' insurance, processing and filing claims, processing payments, and following up on denied claims. Patient portal software can also be used to increase patient engagement by facilitating tasks such as scheduling appointments, requesting prescription refills and paying bills online. The fixed monthly fee for basic concierge assistance or direct primary care is an out-of-pocket expense. Depending on the patient's specific care needs, additional charges may be incurred for services such as external laboratories or executive health evaluations.
In some cases, health insurance companies may reimburse some of these costs if the doctor is considered to be an out-of-network provider. When considering concierge care, it's important to weigh the cost against the benefits. Switching to concierge medicine can result in a more intimate relationship between doctor and patient through a more pleasant and individual relationship with their doctor. It can also help doctors overcome bureaucracy by allowing them to spend more time on personalized patient care and less time worrying about when or how they will be paid for their efforts.
It's very likely that you won't get rich by switching to a concierge medicine office model, but if you care about improving the health of your patient population, concierge medicine might be the right option for you. Physicians can care for a combination of concierge and non-member patients, or they can work in an office where only a fraction of the staff follows the concierge model. Taken to the letter, the medical concierge model creates an entirely new stratum of quality and delivery of health care through an improved range of services with a limit of no more than 400 to 600 patients per primary care physician.
